The present invention relates to trim strips which present markings or indicia to a viewer. More particularly, the present invention relates to trim strips having markings or indicia exhibiting three-dimensional characteristics and especially suited for use on automotive vehicles.
Trim strips are used on automotive vehicles, for example, as bumper trim and body side molding and serve both aesthetic and functional purposes. Trim strips commonly have bright work to simulate a bright metallic appearance which is pleasing to the eye of the viewer. In fact, a variety of shapes and configurations of trim strips have been developed through the years in efforts to improve the aesthetic characteristics of the trim strips and, in particular, to improve the aesthetic appeal of the structure to which the trim strip is attached. One type of trim strip presently in use on automotive vehicles has a logo molded in the outer surface of the strip. It is often considered desirable to place emblems containing indicia such as trademarks, tradenames, insignias, logos, designs or the like on vehicles. However, emblems and trim strips are usually separate entities since their combination generally fails to produce an aesthetic and durable trim strip.
Although much development has taken place in the trim strip art, there remains a need for further improvements. In particular, it would be desirable to have a trim strip with improved aesthetic appearance. Accordingly, the present invention provides a trim strip having indicia integrally formed therein. The indicia, such as trademarks, tradenames, insignias, logos, designs or the like are positioned within the molding strip. The present invention further provides a molding strip having a layer with indicia that appear to have depth, i.e. to be three-dimensional when viewed by an observer. The present invention also provides an alternative to separate positioning and affixing of emblems and trim strips to a vehicle, and even more important, provides an aesthetically appealing molding strip with a three-dimensional indicia layer.
The new and improved molding strip of the present invention is a laminate construction of a base substrate having a metallized film layer positioned on and laminated thereto. A transparent overlayer is laminated to and covers the film layer. Indicia are formed proximate to or on the top surface of the overlayer. A transparent cover layer is laminated over the indicia and top surface of the overlayer. The trim strip of the present invention is generally made by the steps of providing a base substrate; laminating a metallized film layer to the substrate; laminating a transparent overlayer over the metallized film layer; providing desired marks or indicia on the top of the transparent overlayer; and then covering the marks or indicia with a transparent cover layer. The indicia provides a direct image and a reflected image which combine to give a depth or three-dimensional appearance to the indicia as viewed by an observer. Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art from the following description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.